Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Health has launched a national campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, on the occasion of World No-Tobacco Day celebrated on May 31.
The campaign, launched under the theme “The importance of the fight against smoking in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic,” included a series of audiovisual content the ministry created especially for the occasion.
The health ministry broadcasted the content on national television and radio, as well as on several digital outlets, including the social media pages of the ministry and its regional delegations.
“Smoking is one of the most important risk factors for non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular illnesses, cancers, and chronic respiratory diseases,” said the Ministry of Health in a press release.
“A group of experts working under the World Health Organization (WHO) examined several epidemiological studies on April 29, 2020, and concluded that smokers are more sensitive to COVID-19 complications that directly affect lungs in comparison to non-smokers,” the press release continued.
According to a 2017 report the Ministry of Health compiled in collaboration with WHO, smokers represent approximately 13.4% of the adult Moroccan population aged over 18.
The share of smokers among Moroccan adult men (26.9%) is significantly higher than that of women (0.4%), according to the same report.
Meanwhile, the 2016 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) revealed 4% of Moroccans aged between 13 and 15 smoke tobacco products, 4.4% among boys and 3.2% among girls.
The report also found that 6.9% of Moroccan youth, aged between 13 and 15, are susceptible to tobacco use in the future, including 7.6% of boys and 6.4% of girls.
Another recent survey, which the ministry’s press release did not cite, found that approximately 35.6% of Morocco’s population suffers from passive smoking in public and professional spaces.
